# sullen vs swollen

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### sullen
*adjective · IPA /ˈsʌlən/ · frequency rank #41,399*
Having a brooding ill temper; sulky.

### swollen
*adjective · IPA /ˈswəʊ.lən/ · frequency rank #13,622*
Protuberant or abnormally distended (as by injury or disease).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sullen-vs-swollen